JOHAN FALK SERIES PART 20: THE END

Previously on Johan Falk:

The mole was revealed to be Lasse, one of the more harmless, less violence prone individuals of GSI.
But still a lot of stuff is revealed. Thje organisation is showing its real face and are gunning for Johan and his family.

Plot:

At the same time as Johan is hiding his family from teh Russian mob,   coordinated efforts are being made into shutting down their foes from Moscow. We learn that the Organisation taht ahs been a constant threat throughout is a much bigger one than expected. Even part of the events  leading back as far as Johan Falk#2: Executive Protection.


Jibber jabber:

In discussing the finale on facebook ,a lot of people seem to focus on the exact events of what happened. The ending is somewhat ambivalent. They speculate whether Johan is alive or not.And that is fine. It is a lot of fun speculating on the end. All power to you. But I might figure a different, more symbolic approach. As we get closer to Christmas we might want to look closer to miracles or stuff like that

One interesting comparison can be made to Russia. We can perhaps see Russian orthdoxy religion pervade the world of  Johan Falk, as he finally redeem himself for his previous isoation, to sacrifce hmself for the greater good. On Christmas Eve nonetheless as the whole thing from Zero Tolerance started. The entire sereis started on that day and ends on it in a great symbolic way. It started with Falk saving his step daughter. And The End  ( well) ends with him saving his step daughter and her child. Very symbolic that the series ends on Christmas and that birth is given.

Within Russsian Orthodoxy isolation and  seclusion are considered heretic practices. or unapproved of Falk redeems his soul by sacrificing himself for a greater cause.  He starts out as a lone wolf in Zero Tolerance  but gradually throughout the series assimilate himself in society. 

Remember Lasse? He himself , a victim of GSI, was confronted at one point with  orthodox catholic religion. And it may have struck a chord with Johan in the end, because it might have been leading him into a similar course. Now we actually might see some Russian attitudes seeping inside Swedish mentalties in which we may havbe never seen before. People who sacricifce themselves, see themselves as obsolute for the greater good. Lasse  hanged himself, Johan, he may have survived, we don´t know , is though highly indebted to a higher cause. His life for the survavl to the family.

It is interesting to note that some of the more pivotal moments in  the series Johan spends on his back. 

The opening of the GSI series, but also the end of The Third Wave and The Child Infiltrator. Holding Ola, playing with him in GSI. Saving one of the young perpetrators from being  shot in The Child Infiltrator, saving a pregnant Helen in The Third Wave after being shot in the head.

Several sequences in these films symbölizes pivotal moments in Johan Falks life are being spent on his back.

And the last and most important scene of his life is played out as his step-daugher is giving birth as he is being tortured. Symbolic to say the least. On the verge of death as someone is on the verge of giving life. .

This shows poignancy to his suffering. Johan gives up his life for another. Life is given birth as another is offered. Very ritualistic. And Johan finally sacrifices himself for the greater good which brings his story into full circle. In Zero Tolerance he was the isolated shell of a man. And in Russian ortodox religion. isolation is a sin as I have previously mentioned. And now in  that regard he has truly emerged as a man as who symbolicly finally relinquuished his isolated position  and brings order and stability back to the family.

In Russian literature there is a archetype called the superfluous man. It is a certain type of individual who is unable to create any changes in society.. Johan is the american type of individual lone ranger trying to get the job done on his own. But he fails . Crime continues to exist throught the series, there fore he never amounts to much change. The only change he can contribute  is the one in his own vicinity. He manages to save his step daughter through torture. But at the same time bring down the organization through his sacrifice. So for the first time his crimefighting has had greater effect than usual.  

It is a bit of a reach, but that shell of a man that we previously knew has gone trough twenty movies to redeem himself and proven himself from going through from isolation to assimilation. Johan Falk is now truly one of us as he sacrificed himself for the common good, the family. The collective. And the future.

I  like the idea of noticing or intepreting ideas that may or may not intentionally have seeped into the series.  Some of the outside influences that is part of the franchise.  Like; the Estonian lullaby that is introduced in Executive Protection  and keeps recurring musically throughout the series as well as other melodic motifs in the music that are "Russian" or at least "slavic" especially in this third season. with tracks like Kavkaz and the haunting Eg Er Riddarrinn . These musical motifs, I think give some gravitas to the stuff that I have mentioned above.

Also the philosophical ideas of crime/punishment/redemption that stems from orthodox religion introduced in Operation Nightingale, and how it might storywise work itself into on a deeper level throughout the story and try to give the work a  meaning  below the surface level is also something I have come to appreciate. I might be full of shit in these last few paragraphs for this final installment. It´s not exact science. It is an intepretation, should be taken as such,  and as I said I like to give meaning to films that deserve it. And I think in this instance this series is definetly worth it.

Wrap up:

Regardless, of the fate of Johan Falk, his memory lives on not only in the  heart of his loved one but also in the heart of us action fans. Even though we may never see him again, his work lives on in these twenty films. And for new generations to enjoy.

Thank you Mr Johan Falk for all these years!

https://open.spotify.com/track/0jZbXKH4agpFSDI1PuhMXo

The End.